Mr. Wenlake was at this time in London engaged on business there, and he was duly informed of the strange disappearance of his favourite servant, and of the failure to get any trace of him. He thereupon came post-haste to me and told me all the circumstances as far as he knew them; and, being very greatly distressed, he begged that I would start with him at once for York. I was much engaged at the time, but he was upset and so anxious about the fate of his man that I yielded to his entreaties, and consented to accompany him down by the next train, which started at noon.
The run to York from London was not made quite so expeditiously in those days as it is now, and it took us nine hours to reach the Priory. Of course it was too late that night to take any active step towards trying to find
